Delay (Anew) for the LHC Restart

The Collider

Peter McCready

All those planning for the end of the world in July, rest easy and enjoy the summer.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is delaying the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) startup another two months. According to CERN, the LHC will go live in September and collisions will begin in October.

The collider was first switched on last September and just nine days later, was turned off due to a leak in its liquid-helium plumbing. To make up for missed time, CERN announced it will be running the LHC through the winter. Usually atom-smashers hibernate during the winter, avoiding the peak electricity rates and allowing for maintenance, but the LHC will have only a brief respite: Christmas vacation.

The two month delay in restarting the machine will give engineers time to install warning and protection systems, in hopes of preventing another premature shutdown. The system will include pressure-release valves to stop wide-spread damage should another rupture occur and an early turn-off system that would detect problems and shutdown the machine before major damage could be done.